Crash, bang, lights out!

The road works at Joe Slovo have a lot to answer for! The road is actually completely closed which means that 4 lanes of traffic have to divert into 2 - not to forget the 5th lane which is actually a left turn only lane which all these horrible people zoom down (past those law abiding citizens like myself) and then push in to the right turn at the bottom. Well, yeasterday evening on the way home such an incident happened and I was the one being pushed in front of - so I let the black car ahead of me turn but was determined that the bakkie behind him would not get in front of me too! So I kept very close to the horrible black car - but unfortunately TOO close and banged his right back tyre fender - I didn't even realise I'd hit him until the driver jumped out and started waving his arms around and yelling and cursing me in Afrikaans! I said I was sorry but on and on he ranted - very unpleasant. Anyway eventually we pulled out of the traffic so that we did not impede it anymore than it already was and he calmed down and we swopped information. There is a small scratch just below my headlight - not worth bothering about but we'll have to wait and see what he does about it!

So, on I went home - back door wide open but nobody around. Went to check on the alpacas and found Coco, Patricia and Dustin shut into the barn area with no water or food and the poor little baby on the other side of the gate all by himself in the field! FUME!!!

Sorted thatout and went into the house - power failure..... but everybody elses lights around us were on? Michael and his friend John arrived home and I sent them to check the fuse box. All the switches were down but pushing them up had no effect - then Michael found the little love letter than Eskom had sent us - disconnected due to non-payment! AAAARGH! Scrabbled through Johans non-filing system on his desk and luckily found an account - the whole system works on the account number and without that you are sunk. First of all I phoned to check what we owed - R0???? So then I got through to a person (lots of number pushing and menus for that to happen) who said that it had been a mistake...well, we are still waiting for it to come on again.....

So much for my thoughts of a glass or wine with my feet up watching James Herriott!

We have a new addition - one peachick has hatched (guess the others all rolled off the roof!) and here are some pictures of little Byron!

Gorgeous Babies

Two gorgeous babies are now frolicing around our plot! The first to be born was Lass's foal - a lovely little cream filly - un-named as yet (Sam wants to call it Fudge, I want to call it Madrigal and Moose wants to call it Myfanwy!) - she is now 10 days old and very friendly and forward! Loves nibbling things - including humans! And then this morning Coco had a little white boy - who will be named Byron. baby animals are so beautiful!

Next on line should be Pippit and then Patricia. And hopefully there will be some peachicks as well - except that they laid their eggs on the roof and some keep rolling off!

Di what next - you didn't have to do this just to have some news for your blog!!!

Please note - I don't try to find things to write about in the blog - they just happen!

The above comment refers to my latest escapade! I am in the process of buying a new horse (despite having 9 at home there are none for me to ride!) and this horse belonged to a friend who needed to sell because she was going overseas. " Very quiet " "will give you lots of confidence" "can fall asleep lying down on his back when on outrides" etc etc. And he was a nice big boy, described as a "off white" - Sam got on and rode him around, although he spooked and cantered nothing weird happened and she did very well. So, on the premise that I was about to sell 2 alpacas so could afford him I said I would take him. He was also supposed to be percheron x boerperd but everybody horsey that I know thinks the percheron bit is wishfull thinking! Anyway he is big.

So the next week we went to collect him and on Sunday, Johan, Sam and I had out first outride together. None of the descriptions fit the horse I was riding, he lept sideways, danced around, zoomed off at a very fast trot with his head in the air - not quite what I expected! So I called my friend and we put him into the lunging arena - which he rushed wildy around trying to jump out of. She was astounded. We worked out that it must be the food. So for another 2 weeks he was on reduced rations (but still getting fatter all the time) and he actually changed colour - becoming a beautiful pale palomino. Anyway, he did calm down considerably so I had a lesson with the owner who taught me the way she had ridden him. Now, I have always been rather a couch potato and have had horses that just went without much effort. This one goes but if you do not control him with your legs then he is rather haphazard which was why he was so weird on the outride. She also showed me how to use my hands - tighten up at first and then when he drops his nose, bring the hands down and relax. So it all went very well - rather like sitting on a powder keg but at least I felt in control!

So, the next day, by myself, I decided to quickly saddle up and ride in the arena. Johan had gone to collect Michael from sword practice (which he is loving) so it was just sam and I. At first all went well and we walked around and then he stopped. I put my legs on and tightened up my hands (mistake) and he went backwards, not realising the message I was sending I did it again and he did a little hop. Did it again (I'm a bit slow on the uptake) and up he went, rearing up up and OVER on top of me.

Well, I was out for the count (don't mention the word "hat"!) and Sam took one look and ran screaming for John - who luckily arrived home just as it all happened. Fred (neighbour) lept over 2 6 ft fences to come and help (his son had the same kind of accident and broke his pelvis in 3 places). I woke up briefly when they were lifting me onto the top of the garden tables (dismantled from the legs) and then again as they pushed me into the back of the car and the paramedics arrived. Apparently I had been consious but talking double dutch and not remembering who Zorro (horse) was etc. So off we went to Union hospital with me esconsed on the garden table in the back of the car (Now I know the seats go down!) and off I went to casualty, X ray (no bones broken - miracle!) and a cat scan, then into the ward.

Hospitals are not restful places - the lights were on all night and they wake you up at 4 in the morning for blanket baths etc! Of course I did not have the required soap and face cloth etc but we made a plan. So the final opinion was that the muscles in my leg had snapped and I was very very badly bruised - very lucky.

On day 2 I actually managed a couple of shuffling steps with the zimmer frame - it is a very humbling experience to suddenly find yourself "old" and infirm. I had a regular visistor, Clayton from Plot 1 was in the same section (broken jaw) and so he would come to visit dragging his drip with him and I would shuffle up to him with zimmer and drip - made it more bearable having a pal on hand! So on Tuesday evening they said I could go home - they weren't going to stitch the muscles becauise "its not as though you are a comrades runner" (now I wonder what gave him that idea?)- so off I went home - still barely able to lift my foot to even put a slipper on and with a leg the size of an elephant, swollen and blue.

At home, we looked at it and really doubted that it was going to get better by itself so off to our GP the next day for his opinion - he took one look and phoned the orthopaedic surgeon in Mulbarton - off we went and he looked at it and booked me in to hospital the next day - to stitch the muscles (yay so I can run Comrades in the future!) and drain the fluid. If left, it could not possibly had reabsorbed that amount (they drained 1.5 litres) and would have got infected, septic = long time in hospital, lots of antibiotics etc etc etc. So another 2 days in hospital and then back home again with sexy white pressure stockings. Another week in bed - this time felt really lousy because I started to slur my words and not be able to focus properly - back to the GP - could be Post concussion syndrome or could have been a recation to the painkillers! So stopped the painkillers and vision and speech was restored! (Phew)

Another week in bed (poor Johan) and then was up and about again - thank goodness for automatic cars! I had to get up and going because Johan had had to take 3 weeks off work and the kids have to get to school for their exams - so I had to bite the bullet and get back into the swing of things again!

In the meantime Zorro is still eating his head off in the stable......

Dance like a butterfly - sting like a bee! Ow!

Poor Sam, she had a hard time last week. It all started when we arrived at the school and she dicovered that her shoes and socks were not in the car..... disaster when you are 11 years old! I phoned the aftercare teacher and asked her to help Sam find a pair in lost property etc. So Sam crept in to the office (in tears and in my old blue stokies) and they took her to find some shoes. Unfortunately they could only find one that fit her - so she put it on and limped out with her other foot in the slipper - telling everyone that her other foot had been stung by a bee!

Whilst having tea with Elsie on Saturday afternoon - Sam came in and announced that she had been stung on the foot by a bee - we laughed and teased her about little white lies coming back to get her! But then... she started going dark red, throat started constricting and she was covered in weals - she had developed an allergic reaction! Luckily Elsie had some anti histamines so we gave her one and phoned our local Dr - he said get her to the emergency pharmacy at Mulbarton Clinic quickly. Well - I pushed my power button in the car - put on my hazards and zoomed along - past other traffic, through red robots and keeping an eye on Sam all the time. Very dramatic. We got to the pharmacy and they took one look and said get her into casualty immediately - onto a bed, connected to a drip and injected! Wow! Now she has to have an injection with her at all time - apparently the more times you get stung the worse the reaction is. At least now we know but it is a worry - there are lots of bees around in Spring!

Phew - busy week!

Wow - last week went by in a blur and it looks as though this week will be the same!

Sunday - went for the first ride on my new horse Zorro - touted as the most wonderful quiet horse, good for giving you confidence etc - well he hopped, skipped and jumped and trotted like a maniac and would not stop - not quite what I had envisaged. Have cut down on his concentrates to see if that makes a difference - will wait and see!

On Monday night - I went on my first neighbourhood watch patrol - I had forgotten about it until someone ding-donged at the gate to deliver the equipment - bullet proof vests, batons, lights etc. Boy those vests are heavy - once I had one on and was behind the wheel it would have needed a crane to move me! It is not very stimulating I must say. driving around in the dark - Paula and I chatted but there is a limit to how much one can say. Glad when it was 11 and time for the handover. The next session is from 2-5 in the morning so not looking forward to that!

On Thursday It was Elizes matric dance - and we loaded up the carriage and horsebox and drove to Vereeniging - luckily it didn't rain unrtil we were back at the box - having dropped her off at the red carpet! Wow, there were jags, limo's, a model T-ford and us! Womble was a bit hesitant about walking into the crowd of popping flashbulbs and people so Johan led him the last bit. At least Womble is sensible - doesn't leap around and run away - just stands and says " I'm not sure about this.... do I really have to walk on? " Sam dressed to match me and we looked very smart!

Then the next morning it was up with the larks and off to Graaf Reinet for the Alpaca Society AGM. What a really great weekend! Met others at the guesthouse and we all went out to dinner together - very nice place in the Chocolate art gallery - some really lovely pictures that I would have loved to have bought - and lovely food too!

The AGM took up the whole of the Saturday and we had 3 gueast speakers first - bit of a hitch when we could not find a screen but we got one in the end! Then the AGM went smoothly and we finished at 5.30 - a very long day! Lovely to see everybody again and the catering was good.

And then another lovely lovely dinner with fantastic food (and company) at the Kliphuis - highly recommended! A late night!

Sunday - we wento to visit a farm to watch alpacas herding sheep - unfortunately they were more interested in us rather than doing their job but it was interesting to see them anyway - the farms here are enormous - 5000 and 8000 hectares! Then off to see other alpacas on a historical farmstead and I fell in love with a little lamb. As we went into the field all these little bottlefed lambs rushed over to us and when you picked them up they just nestled under your chin and settled down - so sweet.... finally left at 1.30 - a long drive back and home at about 11.30 - but what a wonderful, full, friendly weekend it had been - I am so lucky to meet such people.

Then back to work this week - Lass looks at though she is about to foal at any minute so that is keeping me on my toes. I have my patrol on Thursday (actually Friday) from 2-5 and then Sam is going trick or treating on Friday night - we are a stop off point so we need to decorate the gate as well! Now what happened to that plastic skeleton with the light in its head.....

Look what I found - notes on Eygpt trip - day 1

Time to catch up on Egypt I think even though it seems like a dream now even though it was only 9 days ago! (written when I was in the UK and then lost memory stick)

It was very hard to work on that Thursday – who could concentrate when you were going to be going to Cairo! Off to the airport in 2 kombis, ours went via the back routes to avoid Gilooly’s but we all arrived at the same time. The others had a very interesting driver – he had umpteen wives – one of which was a deflowered nun!

Luckily there were no long queues at the airport so we were very quick through to the other side – apart from Buti – he had too many creams and lotions and potions in his hand luggage so they made him go back and check it in.

Over to our normal spot in the News Café – not the greatest place and the service is AWFUL but there really isn’t much choice, and then we all drifted around doing our final bits of shopping until we boarded the plane. Luckily it was not completely full so Brenda and I had 4 seats between the two of us so were able to get some sleep.

Day 1 : Friday 30th April 2008-06-12

Arrived in Cairo and there was a chap waiting to escort us through immigration and out through the airport – he wasn’t very good as he lost half of us along the way but we all ended up at the right place in the end. Then we met our guide Hashim who escorted us onto the bus, loaded the baggage through the window and then off we ventured into Egyptian traffic. No traffic lights and no lines on the road but because they are not aggressive and give way to each other there are very few accidents. Sounded like Louis Botha – beep beeping all the time from everyone.

We arrived at the Hilton Ramses which unfortunately we could not check into immediately so we sat in the foyer for a while and then went to have breakfast in the Terrace dining room – most amazing chef who could flip omlettes and eggs in a most spectacular fashion!


Then still had time to waste so off we went for a walk along the Nile – necessitated crossing some roads – a frightening task that required nerves of steel and must have given Hashim some worrying moments about his little flock! Then we walked up the road – could not believe where we were!

The buildings in Egypt are quite unique – mostly unpainted and incomplete – apparently if they are complete and painted then they have to pay tax so…. a city full of unfinished buildings (predominantly cement square frames and brick fill).

Hashim was able to get rooms for us at 10:30 and due to people arriving back in the foyer LATE we no longer had time to go to the Mosque and Citadel (due to it being Friday things closed earlier than usual) so all plans changed and we were off to Siddara and Memphis (no Elvis only Ramses II!).


Siddara is one of the oldest pyramids – a step pyramid with a well excavated surrounding, must have been fantastic when it was complete. Very hot and the sand is quite rocky and whitish.


As you can see from my rosy cheeks – it was hot and look at the sandy shoes – originally brown.

The cobras are for security – always shown on the headdresses of the Pharaohs so that they could strike and kill any enemies.

From Siddara one could look across and see the Giza pyramids in the distance, really magical and we saw our first camel.


What was also remarkable was the sudden transition from the date palms to the desert – just a complete cutoff from one to the other.


The we were on the way to Memphis, via a small village which specialised in carpets. Aha, time for me to suss out camel blankets! First of all we watched young girls knot the rugs (I had a go and didn’t do too badly!) and then looked at large looms – beautiful complicated pictures being woven) then upstairs for s complimentary glass of hibiscus tea and we all had to sit and listen to the sales spiel with beautiful silk carpets flashing before our eyes. There was a glorious large silken carpet – only $75 000!



Then it my time for the camel blankets – asking price 3000 EP – I offered 500 – came down to 2000 – still too much so no sale!

Off to Memphis which had an enormous statue of Ramses II, a smaller one, some lionesses and other statues. How on earth did they carve such large perfect statues!


We were all starting to flag a bit by then and so back to the bus and off to lunch – a lovely outdoor restaurant called Andrea’s – beautiful fluffy pitas that we saw being cooked in an outside oven and lots of lovely hummus, tahina and great roasted chicken – also seen on spits outside. Our guide (name) sat with us but did not eat – she has patches on her head – supposed to help her diet a la acupuncture! She is incredibly knowledgeable about Eygptian history.


(And I’m off to the hospital restaurant – tomato soup, roll and an apple – the Executive Athlete team should be proud of me!) Thankfully my debit card allowed me to draw money – was in rather a twizz about it as my credit card was declined at Avis at the airport and I would have been stuck – had to borrow £10 from Dorothy over the road this morning to buy milk!

After lunch – off to a Papyrus factory … a demo of how it was made and then of course the sales talk starts… and of course I fell for it – but only at 200 EP less than they first asked! Will look lovely above our bed.

Back to the hotel for a quick shower and change and Brenda and I went for a quick walk along the bridge – there was a film shoot and we sot involved so some Eygptian TV show will have us strolling along!

Lovely – no crime and no bothersome people – in fact the opposite – all very friendly and welcoming.


Then back to the hotel and up to the 36th floor which has a restaurant with fabulous views of the city.

Then at 6.30 - off to the Sound & Light show at the Pyramids – heralded in by an Eygptian band playing….. bagpipes!

Absolutely magical!

And still not time for bed – off to dinner sailing the Nile in a felucca!

And then it was the end of Day 1 – Wow! We dropped like stones when we finally got to bed – and had an early start planned for the next day!


Day 2 – Alexandria

Up early for a quick breakfast – next casualty – Abraham has a funny tummy – oops! Sonia had been the first and so she now had all the medication as well as Geraldine so we dosed him up and off we went – 200 odd kms off to Alexandria.

Its quite developed along the road – first a techno park and then farming estates – need a lot of money to do that because it takes a lot of time and water before the desert becomes established. Lots of dovecotes and an arab stud – very interesting.

And now I'll have to scratch my brain for the rest of it!

Living rough!

My cousin Julia, in the UK is buying a remote cottage in Scotland - and they are going up there for a weekend:


We are off to Scotland next weekend,Alans brothers(3 of them) are coming also as "working party" to help us cut the grass etc.They wont be doing that much as they have all decided they are going fishing on the Sunday(no stamina these men!) I will be chief cook,that should be interesting as there is only a sink in the kitchen, we are taking a fold up table, microwave and gas burner, should be fun. There is only a coal fire, no central heating so thermal undies required. I am not really one for roughing it so the whole thing sounds a nightmare to me.
We are going to take Mums bed with us on the trailer,if Alan can get it up and running for then- it was a "bargain" but Im not so sure as we have spent loads on new suspension, wheels and various other bits and pieces.
This house buying lark is very stressfull isnt it? the seller in your case
sounds charming. We didnt have to worry about fixtures etc as there werent
any!!

This made me think of our honeymoon!

We went to a cottage on a very remote bit of the Wild Coast - no electricity and an outside loo - had to fish for our food - and boil water to sit in a tin bath - but it was lovely.

Then we went to visit our bestman who had a cottage in Kei Mouth.
Unfortunately he had let it out, so he had a room in the house and we were sleeping in the kombi on thefront lawn. Well, one night we came back having caught a lo vely big brass bream -which Deon announced to the woman of the house and her family that Di would cook and they were invited to dinner.
Having said that he and Johan disappeared to the pub!

Well, this poor womoan kept making helpful suggestions as I nervously slaved away - cursing under my breath, the cherry on the top came when I switiched on the stove forgetting it was gas and then lit it with a tremendous whoosh that took off my eyebrows! Everybody made polite comments about how good the dinner was but I was fuming! (And it really wasn't half as good as it should have been!)

Then we went to the kombi to find that the dogs had been sick all over the bed, we tried to wake Deon by throwing stones at his window and climbing the drain pipe but with no success so had to sleep on the front lawn!

Not the most comfortable and indulgent of honeymoons!

Spring is here!

Our first batch of ducklings were hatched on Sunday morning so Spring is definitely here!

Now, to carry on from my last posting - sounds morbid but please plan your funerals and make sure everybody knows what you want them to do with you once you are gone! Cremated, buried? Hymns to be sung, readings to be read? It would really help if we all had a funeral plan as well as a will! having said which I have not done one yet either!

Well, the funeral was 10 days after Mums death, Johan and the kids arrived late on Saturday and the funeral was the following Monday. Funerals in England are a lot more solemn and serious than they are here. Curtains are closed for the entire morning until the hearse arrives and parks outside the house so that the neighbours can show their respect - their curtains are sometimes closed too. As the funeral cortege moves to the church people bow their heads as you pass and old men doff their cap - it all makes it very very sad and respectful. At the church the family were instructed to walk in behind the coffin - that set me off, I cried and sobbed the whole way through thinking of my little mum in that box - it was horrible. David gave a short speech about how we loved out mum and then we went outside to view the flowers. Both mum and dad had had their ashes scattered at Walton Lea which has beautiful gardens.

After the funeral we all went to have tea at the church hall in Great Budworth - Mum used to liove there when she was a child. Well, the caterers did us proud - there was so much food and it was so good it was amazing! The only potential problem was the cousins that hate each others guts (they are sisters) - however they each sat at a different end of the hall and behaved themselves and I made a point of sitting for a while with each. BUT little did I know that Johan and the kids spent more time with one than the other and I was taken to task about this in later days!

After that, it was a matter of putting the house on the market, selling the furniture, packing the clothes in bags for Oxfam etc. In between times we had day trips with the kids - Alton Towers theme park, Artley Hall Spring festival, Blackpool etc so we tried to make it as holidayish as possible - plus we had lots of people to see.

A very special occassion for me was going out to lunch with 3 of Mums friends, they had been friends since they were about 17 and they are all active bright ladies and I got on so well with them - it really brought home to me how horrible and debilitating diabetes is, if it wasn't for that my mum would have had such a better quality of life!

The end

Back at the hospital, I thought Mum was asleep so sat next to her and worked on my laptop for a while, also getting to know all the other ladies in the ward – Alice, (x2) Beatrice, Nora and Mavis – a lovely chatty bunch.

I went to speak to one of the doctors to ask whether I could take Mum home – he was an absolute sod, had no interest in the matter, kept flipping though the file which had had aboviously not read and asked what would happen when I went home in 5 weeks time – totally useless and off hand – very unlike the other doctors I had spoken to on previous visists. Anyway – went back and sat at the bedside – the nrsing staff were great – Ian (Mr Ice cream man), and all the others made sure I had lots of tea etc. Mums breathing became heavier and raspy and she still didn’t wake. At lunch time my cousin Linda came in and we went for lunch in the canteen and then she sat with us a while – she had been a tower of strength in all these visits and such a help. She mentioned that on the day her father (my Unclue Eric) had died his breathing had also been very laboured. Sat there a while longer, talking to mum and the other ladies and then at about 6 pm the nurses called me aside to say it was time for the “final pathway” – this meant that all drips etc would be removed, no more medication would be given and death would be imminent. The curtains were drawn around the bed and I sat there holding her hand. At about 8 I had put my head down on the bed and was crying when John Grundy came in and touched me on the shoulder. He had come to see if I wanted a break – he would sit with mum while I went home for a bath – but I said no thanks, I’d stay but we went for some tea together and then he sat with me for at least an hour – such a loving kind person. As he said, nothing can prepare you for this,
.

While we sat there behind the curtains the other ladies prepared to sleep – lots of “night nights” “sleep tight” etc. Then little Alice in the bed next to mum said “why is there a naked man under the radiogram?” the others all chirped up, never mind Alice, we’re here Alice, sleep tight Alice everything is alright” ands she just kept asking why there was a naked man under the radiogram! John and I had a giggle about that! He left at about 11 and I sat there – the night nurse was a lovely person called Sarah who kept popping in to check on me – ask if I’d like tea etc. She was really great and very supportive. At about 3.25 in the morning Mum died, there was the death rattle and after another few minutes her breathing stopped. I sat there and then went to find the nurses to confirm it. After checking and then “laying her out” I sat there for about another hour and then said good night to everyone and went home Mavis in the bed opposite looked so scared when I came out of the curtains – it makes one realise ones mortality and the fragility of life – it was very hard. All the things you wanted to say and hadn’t all the questions you had – now too late. I miss my mum so much and it was so very hard and terrible to sit there.

After a short sleep I started to phone people and let them know, phone the funeral directors, the solicitors, the vicar etc and arrange everyting. Then I drove back to the hospital to collect mums things and say goodbye to all the ladies in the ward and thank the nurses. The horrible doctor was sitting at the desk and did not even look up, say anything to me at all – what a pig!

England

Right - I need to start catching up on everything!

As I may or may not have said before, we were planning to go to the UK for the July school holidays and we were planning to take my mum to the james herriot MUseum etc. However, after my previous trip to find a nursing home, Mum just kind of gave up on life. She didn't want to eat and just wouldn't (she had always had an extremely small appetite anyhow) - as a result this threw her diabetes into disorder to nothing was going well and her physical condition was going from bad to worse. On Tuesday 10th June the hospital phoned me to say that she was deteriorating fast. Now I had previously tried to bring my trip a bit forward but the travel agent in the UK assured me that there was no way to change my ticket. So I phoned Flight Connections and asked them to check it out for me. Of course there was no such restriction - I would just have to pay an adjustment fee - they had phoned the agent in the UK who refused to deal with them. So... I phoned her and she told me that she knew more about the conditions of my ticket than I did and it could not be changed. Well, I blew a fuse and all of a sudden, after consulting her manager and the carrier, it could miraculously be changed! However, all the faffing around took time so I had only a couple of hours to rush home, get the kids sorted and pack for myself - no tiem to take Sam to a friend that would be able to take her to school - so she got a couple of days off! Then off I went, dropped my car at Lee's and then off to the airport. Shades of 2005 when dad died and I took the night flight the same day. It is very distressing.

I wandered around Dubai and sat in my favourite spot in the hotel and had a massage and then off to Manchester. Panic when I got there - my credit card payment for the car would not go through! Sorted it out eventually and then off to Leighton Hospital and arrived there at 9 in the evening. Mun looked dreadful, the last time I had seen her she was skinny, but now shes was skeletal and she could not speak legibly but at least she recognised that I was there and tried to communicate with me. Very unsettling was the fact that she could not blink. I sat there until after midnight and then went home to sleep.

The next morning I waited for Bruce to come around as he wanted to speak to me and then off to Leighton again. (will carry on later)

Writers Blog

So many things keep happening and I keep on saying to myself - must update my blog ... but seem to have writers block! So instead of feeling overwhelmed by all the stuff I haven't written - I'll start with the small stuff and try to get back into the swing of things!

Most pressing problem at the moment is THE CAR - yes, the steering rack has collapsed for the third time in 5 weeks and yet again I am driving a courtesy car (thank goodness I have one!) but still. Of course this has never happened before in the history of Subaru - only ever to my car! I have obviously missed my niche in life - should have become a car tester - nothing can withstand my tender care!

Then there are the animals.

Dogs & Cats - Jenny had an op at the beginning of the month to remove some tumours on her neck and thigh and then Quidditch had a blocked bowel and had to have an emergency operation. He came home after a week with a bucket on his head and a bare shaved bottom. Notwithstanding the awkwardness of the bucket he managed to disappear for the whole of Friday and we announced his disappearnace on our 8 o'clock radio phone in - only to have him stroll into the kitchen immediately afterwards! Phew. But somehow he managed to pop his stitches so had to go back for repairs to his nether end. The vet we had used for the op had gone away to Cape Town so we had to take him to other vets - yes, the ones I had yelled and screamed at and accused of being incompetent when Shakespeare died - talk about humble pie!

Our collection has also been increased by 3 baby bunnies (Bubble & Squeak + Scrabble) - some surburban rabbits have escaped and are breeding all over the place so Hilarys sister grabs the babies whenever she can so that they don't get run over and they need a home...... so they come to us - so cute! Sam asked why did I name one Scrabble - was it because he was so knowledgeable!

Our trunks arrived form the UK with much drama on my part. The original invoice had said 140 GBP ALL INCLUSIVE but when they got here we had to pay the SA side of the operation another R1300 plus pay a shipping agent. It all boiled up because until that point everything had gone marvellously but when it got to Durban then the wheels fell off. The shipping world have a vocabulary and code of conduct known only to them and woe betide the outsider who doesn't know what to do. Apparently once I received the arrival notice that the ship had docked I was meant to spring into action and organise a clearing agent - as nobody told me this I didn't and when I finally phoned to find out what had happened to my trunks they were already accumulating storage fees. So, the moral fo the story is - don't ever beleieve "all inclusive" and read the small print in your b/l (bill of lading) (if they give you one which in my case they didn't!)

Then we are still waiting for the Insurance to settle the car amount. Our insurance has been great - they paid the amount for which they were liable but then there was the balance ("top up") which was meant to be covered by Hollard in conjunction with Wesbank - to date (5 weeks after the accident) they are still faffing around with paperwork and seem an extremely useless lot! What really irritatetd me was that the account number required by Wesbank in order to tell me how things were going in nowhere to be found on any of the documentation so when one of the call centre people drawled "yes, your wesbank account number...!" I just let rip and told her not to speak to me like that - if they didn't put the correct inofmration in their policy documents it was their own fault.

So between the shipping agents and Wesbank/Hollard I have been having a very traumatic time - not good for my blood pressure!

Johan on the way home

Well, after 3 days of imaging Johan lost in the Sahara, being ravaged by rabid camels and such like, he finally phoned home again - from the capital. All well and everybody acting as usual and ignoring the coup completely. Obviously one should not read too much into news reports!

On the home front we have had quite an eventful week - my car came back from having its service (including reconditioning the steering rack) and has been back twice again and I am still driving the courtesy car....remember I had bought THE car that does not break... well my personal car jinx is still alive and well!

It went in for a service on Monday (time to pick up kids - will have to finish later!)

Mauritania continues to make the news

Well Johan is still in the desert and they were totally unaware of the coup (US has now imposed sanctions) but now one of their tents has burnt down. There was a tremendous wind storm last night and the pilot flame on the gas fridge burnt high and the whole tent plus supplies caught fire. So they will be heading back a bit earlier than expected! It happened at 1 o'clock in the morning so luckily nobody was hurt - just all suffering a bit from smoke inhalation! As this is his first international contract I wonder if they are all so eventful?

On the home front we now have a 2-way radio, this is so that we can hear what is going on and if we need help our call is broadcast to the area as a whole and the patrol can come to our aid. Must say it makes me feel better about leaving the kids in the evenings when I go to my stained glass classes etc. So we had it on last night and it is a bit irritating when watching TV to have this thing crackle and pop and voices saying "there's a car circling plot 72, Over", "come in Barend" etc etc so I think we'd rather be unaware of whats going on and just have it as a call out mechanism! Am starting to feel like we are back in the Rhodesia war when we had terrorist drill at boarding school! What with the radio and the paint gun in the bedroom - feel like Annie Oakley! After 8 years of almost nothing happening in the area things have suddenly erupted! Hope it calms down soon.

Anyway, the patrols have so far caught 3 burglars and several cable theives so they are doing a good job but they can't carry on doing it for ever - these people are all volunteers driving around at 2 in the morning with jobs to go to so am sure it is an initial reaction - hopefully enough to make the baddies go away and not come back so that we can go back to normal!

However, some people are really enjoying it - look at this "over-the-top" email we got last week:


"We have to start implementing a more "organised" plan of action in the event of an emergency!
The implementation of these "stopper groups" is to prevent the criminals escaping through our fingers and MOST IMPORTANTLY keeping the reaction team members from getting injured by "friendly fire"!!
We will start building blockades for the intersections where we can......the other intersections will be blocked by vehicles. Each stopper group will have their "duties" and functions explained to them in detail.
We will need to start rehearsing these Immediate Action Drills as soon as our blockades are manufactured and are in place......however....until such time, if an emergency does arise I would expect residents to go to their respective blockade points and block them with vehicles.
If an emergency comes over the radio.....I will announce the following:
- Code DELTA.....
- All Stopper groups to their positions
- Reaction Team Members meet at intersection......?????
PLEASE do NOT hog the channel....allow the resident who called the initial emergency to speak, as reaction team members need to KNOW what the threat is....this will determine how reaction teams will approach the plot where the emergency has taken place!!
Stopper groups MUST stay within their designated areas until informed to "stand down"
If a stopper group notices a suspect...THEN ONLY do they use the radios!!"

Sounds like the A-Team is on the doorstep - but they are doing a great job and we stayathomes owe them a lot for their time and efforts!

Let's hope they "unseal" it before the 16th!

Yesterday, leaders of Mauritania’s presidential guard took power from recently-elected leader, President Sidi Mohamed Ould Abdallahi and Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed Waghf. The presidential palace and the PM’s office were reportedly surrounded by members of the military; both Abdallahi and Waghf were seized. The whereabouts of the president are not yet clear, although it is reported that the PM is being held hostage in army barracks close to the presidential palace. There are also unconfirmed reports that the former interior minister and two other ministers close to Abdallahi have also been seized. While soldiers patrolled the streets of the capital of Nouakchott in armoured vehicles, brandishing machine guns, the mood in the country was said to be calm, with no reports of violence or unrest, apart from one incident in which a group of some 50 supporters of Abdallahi were dispersed by the police with tear gas. However, the military sealed off the international airport in Nouakchott and state television and radio stations were shut down.

Coup in Mauritania

Oh Dear!

Johan phoned me yesterday afternoon, he is living in a tent in a place called A'in bin cilli - when you look at it with Google earth it just shows dark orange - he is right in the middle of the desert. He says every 50 kms or so they might see a camel pottering around but that's all. They are camped near a solitary tree next to the skeleton of a camel... the only water they have is what they could take with them for drinking, it is very hot, over 43 degrees and wind storms come up frequently. Sounds delightful!

And now there has been a coup in the capital, Nouakchott!!!

" This is the second coup which has occurred in Mauritania in the space of three years and is the first coup attempt made during the term of the democratically elected President Abdallahi. He was the first democratically elected leader since independence in 1960, thus the situation threatens the country’s nascent democracy. It is reported that both the president and the prime minister have been held hostage in the vicinity of the presidential palace, but exactly what happens from here is unclear. Those staging this coup are not novices at this game: Aziz was instrumental in bringing down long-time dictator Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya in 2005 and the coup leaders have already formed a "military state council" plus cancelling the nominations made by the president this morning."

Hopefully it will all have resolved itself by the time they come out of the desert in a weeks or so's time!

Eish! "johanscarinditchhithorse"

Just the thing for a peacful Sunday evening - an SMS saying your husband is upside down in a ditch!

Johan had left home at about 6.30 (already dark) to go to Meyerton to collect take-aways for supper (lazy wife obviously). On the main road he had suddenly run into 3 horses on the orad - he tried to avoid them by driving onto the verge but right at that particular spot the verge was very narrow and the car rolled sideways over and over down into a steep gully.

Rob & Beth found him - saw a dead horse on the side of the road stopped to look and saw Johan crawling out of the back window of the bakkie (door wedged against a tree trunk and difficult to open when upside down!) - but another person had also seen the horse so then there was Monica come to see what could be done, then the neighbourhood watch people and the police and the owners of the horses and then finally me - with a peppering of other residents who stopped to see what was going on! Johan was completeley fine - just cut his had from the windscreen glass when he opened his safety belt! An absolute miracle.

The owners had recently had their gate repaired but apparently it kept opening and closing of its own accord (electric gate) - need I state the obvious - why were they keeping their horses in the area with a faulty gate? Huh, huh?

Then is was all waiting for the horse to be winched away, waiting for the tow truck etc - and the car is a complete write off so now Johan is back to the old white truck, cardboard window replacement tied on with bright orange baler twine, exhaust has holes in so it sounds like a tractor - Michael is going to be extremely embarrassed when that pitches up to collect him from school! And then there is the form filling in etc etc etc. Yikes.

Johan jetted off to Mauretania last night so at least he doens't need a car for the immediate future while it is all being sorted out!

I'm back!

Hi Everyone

Many thanks for the condolences received from "my readers"

Back in sunny SA with so much news to catch up on I don't know where to start!
Egypt, UK etc but I think I'd better start with everyday life and recap when I can, otherwise I'll be stymied and never get going again!

Well, we got back on Mon 14th July after an exhausting trip - we hit the first snag at Manchester airport - all our luggage was overweight and we had too much and too heavy hand luggage - crisis! We were sitting on the floor opening suitcases, chucking stuff into the dustbin and trundling back and forth weighing, weighing and reweighing! Still too much, whatever we did!

In the end I asked Johan to go to the Emirates Customer service desk and ask whether we could leave a bag there for a friend to pick up - no problem - in fact there is a desk specifically for that where you pay 5 gbp and they keep it for someone to collect - why didn't they tell us that at checkin so that we could have avoided all this trauma!!

So, we arranegd for John to collect it the next day and then we will get it some day! So off we went - still straining at the shoulders with the hand luggage but it was allowed! The only really bad effect of the repacking was a stained glass lamp (which had been very carefully packed originally ) but got squashed in the resultant scramble and ended up very badly cracked - Emirates - you owe me!

The Emirates flights are very good - excellent entertainment channels but it just drags the whole journey out for so long - almost 8 hours to Dubai, sit around there for 5 hours and then another 8 hours to Joburg - very draining so one has to consider whether the money saving is really worth it when you end up as a limp rag at the end of it!

Good to be home but we have arrived to find a war situation in our area. There were 3 housebreakings just before we arrived home and then 2 days after we were there (Johan away again already) there were 3 break- ins in one night - and one involved the shooting of my neighbour! The night before the dogs had barked incessantly and I had phoned Fred and Clay, got the armed response people out and finally the police - who went to Plot 7 and told them to shut their dogs up! In hindsight it seems as though the baddies may have been "casing the joint"
Anyway, some men broke in to Plot 2 at 11.30 in the evening and shot L. She was shot through the liver and the bullet went out of her back. V phoned me to ask me to phone the police and an ambulance which I did - as did C at plot 1. So in the end they had 3 ambulances arrive - but better 3 than none! As I said on the same night there were 3 incidences so we really are in a state of war and the neighbourhood is mobilising patrols etc. The night after the shooting we had a 24 hour guard at Plot 2, 6 plain clothed policemen lurking in the field opposite and when C went home he was followed by a car with 2 guys with machine guns who wanted to know who he was and what he was doing - so lets hope the baddies run away (although we would rather they got caught!)!

So, its been very exciting since we got back! Will fill you in on all the rest as I get a chance!

Bye for now

Di

Mom died 13th June 2008

Off to Egypt! Bus comes in an hour! Whheeee!

Very excited!!! Have decided I'm going to look for a camel saddle blanket when I get there - those made of carpet - so have packed my small case which holds all my clothes and then put the small case into the big case - so I have room for my camel stuff!

We have a wonderful itinerary awaiting us!

29 May 18h45 Check in at the Egypt Air Counters at Johannesburg International Airport 21 h45 Depart Johannesburg on flight MS 840

30 May 06h45 Arrive Cairo airport, meet your Emeco representative who will assist you through passport control and transfer you to the
Ramses Hilton Hotel 1115 Corniche EI Nile Cairo
Tel: 20-2-2577 7444 Fax: 20-2-2575 2942

10h35 You will be collected from the hotel for a Half Day tour of the Citadel, Mosque and Bazaar including lunch at a Local restaurant
15h30 You will be returned to the hotel
19h30 You will be collected from the hotel for your Sound and Light show at the Pyramids

You will be transferred for dinner aboard a Felucca

31 May 06h30 You will be collected from the hotel for a Full Day tour to Alexandria including lunch
20hOO You will be returned to the hotel

Dinner at the Ramses Hilton hotel

01 June 09hOO You will be collected from the hotel for a Full Day Tour to the Cairo Museum Pyramids and Sphinx including lunch at a Local restaurant
16hOO You will be returned to the hotel

20hOO Traditional dinner at a Felela restaurant
.

02 June

Check out from the hotel after breakfast.
10hOO You will be collected from the Hotel for a Half Day Tour to Memphis and Sakkara including lunch at a Local restaurant

15hOO You will be returned to the Hotel where you will have the afternoon free to explore local shops or relax at the Pool.

19hOO You will be collected from the Hotel for a Nile Cruise dinner 22hOO Transfer to the airport for your International flight

03 June 02h40 Depart Cairo on flight MS 839
09h40 Arrive at OR Tambo International Airport - and back to a full days work!

Need my energy pills for this one!

..And a piggy stole from the shed

" It'd hold eight kids 'n' four hound dogs and a piggy we stole from the shed
We didn't get much sleep but we had a lot of fun on Grandma's feather bed "

Well we swopped the pig for a cat and were lacking a couple of kids but I think we made a fair approximation of John Denvers memories! The lyric definitely did spring to mind the other night!

In the middle - Samantha - with Biggles (dog) lying across the top of her head
On left side of Sam was Johan
On the left side of Johan, was Frodo (dog)
On the right side of Sam - Me
On my feet - Leo (cat)
Curled behind my knees - Taffy (dog)
At Johans feet - Jenny (dog)

And it is just a normal double bed - a very full one!

Somebody's sick???

Well, now it is confirmed - teenage boys should be on their own planet - far away from normal people whose lives they confuse terribly.

I got to work yesterday and after a while Johan phoned me with the following message
"Michael phoned home, asked Nomie to phone his dad, to ask him to phone his mum (me) to say Somebody is sick"

Huh???
Why would I want to know that somebody's sick - who?
If its Chad that is sick (lift club) then why aren't they phoning his mum and dad - not me???

I gave up - was a completely incomprehensible message.

Arrived at the school at 2.30 - earlier than usual because Sam was sick in bed but had been confirmed when the biys climbed out of the car that morning.

Chad came to the car - he can't find Michael and didn't see him at second break. Odd. Very unusual for Michael not to pounce on the car as soon as he sees it - always desperate to get home.

So we waited at the car, then we walked around the school, maybe he was in :
Sick bay? No
Detention? No
The Library - No
Aftercare - No and Rowan (in his grade but not his class) said that he had not seen him all day.

Off to the school office - explained the situation plus the peculiar message and we all sat in a puzzle. They asked if he had been at school that day - when I said I had dropped him at the gate they said that that didn't always mean they had gone to school! No, Michael is not like that.......

Phoned home to ask Nomie for the message again - just in case. Still the same "somebody's sick" and then he dropped the phone. Dropped the phone? In a rush, pulled away from the phone???

But where was he now - had been looking for over an hour and started to wonder who on earth would ever want to kidnap Michael? Was there some paedophile/boy murderer stalking the school grounds? ??? Ridiculous ideas but I was running out of sensible ones! Phoned his friend Kyrans mum, Ann, whose office is close to the school - maybe he had felt ill and walked there? No, and now there was another person worried!

Phoned Chads mum - what to do with him - explained the whole ridiculous situation again and she said he must just stick with me. Chad kept adding helpful little sayings like "we could have been home by now"; "nobodys seen Michael" etc etc.

Back to the car to see if he had appeared.
No
Then back to the main building - met one of his friends who suggested we check the computer lab!

YES!!!!! THERE HE WAS - IN AN EXAM!!!!

Relief - he was still safe and alive - but he was not going to be when he got out of that room!

I opened the door and gestured to the invigilator who was most reluctant to come to the door and I explained why I needed to find out what time the exam ended - 6 o'clock!!! AND the exam had been organised months ago!! GRRRR.

Phoned to tell people he had been found and then realised with horror that Sam would be at home alone (sick) when Nomie left at 4 - help! Next batch of phone calls started.
Mandy - sorry am at the dentist
Elsie - answering machine
Sherry - only get home at 5.30
Sarah & Charlie - bless them! Picked her up 5 mins after the call and took her home.

Sorted, but now what - 2 hours to go, so Chad and I went to Killarney mall, I had a cappuchino and he had a pot of Rooibos tea (at 13!)

At 5.15 Michael phoned, he had finished and we could come to get him (why so early - did he not know his work or did he know if so well he could do it easily??? Time will tell!)

He jumped in the car and pulled a face when I said we had to pick up Sam - I told him NOT TO SAY A WORD!!

"Somebody's sick" = "pick me up at 6"in teeneage mumble.

Re-Energised, focussed and ready to go!

Just back from a 2 day "Executive Athlete Programme" and despite aching muscles am feeling quite chipper! The programme is designed to show how having a fit body and constant energy levels can improve your work performance.

I farmed out the children - Michael to stay with Glynis & Rob and Sam to stay with Jo, because the course started at 6.45 in the morning in Woodmead and finished at 5.15 which made taking and collecting kids from school very difficult for me.

The course started off by taking us to the gym - wieghing us, seeing how many press-ups, how many sit-ups, how far we could stretch etc and how much flab we had around the middle, the back and on our arms(!)- our biokinetic assessment. Needless to say I did not do very well in anything!

Then we received our PNI results - these are the results from a questionnaire plus a blood test. Well my blood test was shocking! Cholesterol at 6.9 (should be 4.5) and glucose levels on the borderline of becoming a diabetic. Stroke and heart attack on the horizon!

To recover from the gloomy news - which appeared to be common to most of us (18 people all from RMB) we went out for the recovery break - a session with the golf pro's - must say thwacking a golf ball can be very therapeutic - but only if you manage to hit it!

Lunch was very healthy - and left us feeling full (but thinking that a nice pudding would also have gone down well) and then in for a session with the nutritionist. How depressing - must eat regularly to maintain energy levels but what tiny portions, and how bad most things are for you! gloom and doom again so off to hit another half hours worth of golf balls! All very well to say we must eat snacks between meals but they are so tiny - less than a mouthfull!

Next day was back at the crack of dawn again for our healthy breakfast (fruit, yoghurt, ham and a boiled egg) and then in for a session with the sports psychologist. All about how the great athletes are so focussed, play strategically and can block out background distractions. Then off for, not golf but some stretching exercises - yipeee :(

A bit more about the mind of the athlete and then to the gym with the biokineticists for our individual execrcise programmes to make sure we can do them correctly. They asked what "wellness" means to us - I replied and said "Bad grammar!" I hate these bastardised words! This looks quite overwhelming - when am I meant to do all this twice a week?

After lunch - all of us consiously piling up the salad and veggies, back for a session of storytelling - had to insert our own personal experiences into the story and see what it revealed and how we were going to move forward.

Well, at the end they said to start things slowly - do one thing at a time and do it so that it becomes a habit. So this morning I had some breakfast, drank black rooibos and have a jug and glass of water on my desk - so I hope this is the start of the new healthy me.

On the family side of things Mum is still not eating and her blood sugar is fluctuating - no changes at the moment.

RMB Adventure walk!

We had a really lovely day on Saturday - all the staff members of the InfoZone plus their families came for lunch, and once again we had an adventure walk for them - apple bobbing, skipping, mud throwing, walking along ropes etc - lots of fun and enjoyed by adults and children alike ! Followed by a potjie lunch and pony rides - photo's will be loaded soon!

Our walk was as follows:

RMB’s Farm Walk 2008

On the walk you must collect:
1 feather
2 wild flowers
and identify at least one bird that you see.

Along the walk there will be tasks that must be accomplished.

TASK 1: Collect two cushions for each team plus one piece of rope and go to the obstacle course in the garden.

Choose a partner and tie your legs together with your pieces of rope.

A pair at a time must - balancing a cushion on their heads –
· pass under the pole,
· climb over the bales and
· knock over the plastic cups with their noses.

Couples hop back to the starting line to give the cushions to the next pair.

Task 2: Proceed to the basketball hoop near the garages. All team members must throw a ball through the hoop before leaving.

Once every member of the team has done this - you’re off on your walk

Q: How many rolls of hay can you see as you go out of the gate?

Walk – out of the gate, diagonally to the left crossing the road, climbing through the fence, cross over the ditch to a small track heading down the hill.


TASK 3: There are a pile of sacks – each member must walk/hop in the sack from the beginning to the end of the marked area.

Continue walking to the traffic cones you can see further down the hill.

Task 4: Time to play “Simon Says” (10 instructions from team leader) and then off you go again!

Continue to walk down the hill, to the end of the ploughed section – bear slightly left and walk across the fence (on the floor) to the fire break and follow it along to the left until you reach the next clue.

TASK 5: Work out what the clue tells you to do – break the code! (Code said - Jump up and down 3 x)

TASK 6: There is a paint-tin in the middle of a circle, without crossing the circle, throw the marbles into the tin. Each team member must get a marble into the tin before you continue (parents can help little ones!)

TASK 7: Contine to walk along the fire break until you get to a marked area -from one line to another you must pass without letting your feet touch the ground. Look in your bags for the answer.
Continue along the fire break.

TASK 8: From the marked start one member of the team must throw a tennis ball straight ahead. The second member of the team must go to where it lands and throw the ball forwards from that spot. Continue until each member has thrown the ball. Keep the ball in your backpacks.

Task 9: Find a stick and make a mud ball – flick it at the target over the river with the stick – everyone must hit it before you continue. (we gave up on this one - a single flick each was enough!)

Go back to the firebreak and cross it heading up the hill. Cross the fence where marked and continue through the trees following the markers until you reach a clearing.

TASK 10: You must be hot and hungry by now- get the kids to bob for apples:
Once they each have an apple – walk on up the hill.

TASK 11: Skipping – each child must skip to this rhyme (rope turned by 2 adults please)

Blue bells, cockle shells, Easy ivy over
Oh no, here comes the teacher
with her big black stick
Now its time for arithmetic
Two plus two is?
(jumper responds) Four
Four plus four is?
(jumper responds) Eight
Eight plus eight is?
(jumper responds) Sixteen
Nows its time for spelling
Spell cat.
(jumper responds) C-A-T
Spell dog.
(jumper responds) D-O-G
Spell hot.
(jumper responds) H-O-T

(when the jumper finishes spelling HOT then they jump out and the next one goes in.)

TASK 12: Walk the Log! Each member of the team must walk along the logs without falling off.

Task 13: Fear Factor! Stick your heads in the bowl and grab a creepy crawly with your teeth!

Task 14: Stepping stones – walk from brick to brick – no falling off!

Task 15: Put on your blindfolds and follow the track (holding onto the tape)

TASK 16: Using the catapult and pebbles – try to get each team member to hit the tray.

Follow the track to the left

TASK 17: You will find some balloons. You must blow up one for each of you and then go to the marked start area. Put the balloon between your knees and walk/hop to the end without dropping/popping the balloon.

Once you have finished, leave the balloon (or carry it with you) and continue walking towards the windmill.

TASK 18: Hop along the hopscotch grid!

Task 19: Near the broken windmill are some long sticks – tie them to your legs and walk as a team along to the gate. Return the sticks once you reach the gate.

TASK 20: Rope walk (2 ropes between trees)

Each member of the team, must walk along the ropes, if you fall off you must start again.

Continue down the road back to the house . Ice creams in the kitchen!

THE END!
Hand your answers in the kitchen!

We did not have time for ice creams in the kitchen - piled straight into the lunch!

Latest update

Mom had another hypo attack yesterday morning - settled in the afternoon.

Where's Superwoman when you need her?

Well the good news is that Mom ate a minute bit of breakfast today and drank half a cup of tea - progress!

Many thanks to all the friends and family that have been to see her and sent me reports and advice.

It really is a great time of uncertainty. I know its bad to wish ones life away but sometimes there are things in the future that you need to do and you can't help wishing that it was all over and done with so that you could relax and not stress about them anymore.

My current timetable is a case in point

Next week - 2 days course "Executive Athlete Programme - starts at 6.45 each morning and ends at 5.30 - I'll have to farm out the kids - can't drop them at school at 6 in the morning! The programme is meant to make me "operate at peak performance by training and using the same principles and practices employed to create world class sports teams" - the ominous thing is the towel and water bottle we have been given - and the reference to "recovery periods". The main reason I wanted to go on this is that it is run by Dr Weinberg - a specialist in Psychoneuroimmunology (blubberblagytur!) which is the "enhancement of immunity through optimising mind strategies" - the final result should be that I am more energetic, able to cope better with stress and be more focussed (if I suvive the physical exertion side of it!)

29-3rd June - off to Eygpt for departmental weekend away - looking forwards to it but hope certain things are resolved before then.

4th -5th June - SA Online User Group Conference - at which I am presenting a paper "How to make computers think like humans" on the 4th.

8th June - Inter-Regional Carriage Driving Competition

20th June - off to the UK with the family for 3 weeks. Am now thinking that maybe I should go a week earlier so that I can get to grips with whatever needs to be done so that the kids are not bogged down in admin all the time too AND I still need to find a house-sitter.

Somewhere in this I also need to get to Pretoria whilst the British Embassy is open (9-12 weekdays only) to collect Samanthas passport.

Boy, I feel tired just looking at it - hope this "Executive Athlete Leadership development Programme" does the trick and turns me into SuperWoman!

Update on mum

Dear Friends and family

Mum had a hypoglycaemic attack on Tuesday morning from which she recovered thanks to a drip being placed in her leg. However, she cannot have a drip in for ever and she is refusing to eat and take her tablets.

Basically she has had enough and I think it is a matter of just waiting for the phone to ring now - which is terrible to think about but it had to happen some day and her life has been very hard in the last few months - painful and exhausting so no-one can blame her for wanting it to come to an end. I keep weeping all over the place mainly due to the uncertainty of the situation.

I have asked Alec Brown, the vicar of Gt Budworth to pop in to see her and have phoned to arrange for David to visit as well.

I'll keep you informed as I phone every day to find out what is happening.

Di

Now don't bite the nurses!

Back home after a traumatic few days! Mom still in hospital, confused and ill. But I achieved:



1 list of ranked nursing homes based upon my impressions,t he council reports and mums friends impressions

2. Suitcases packed and full of labeled clothes ready to go to the home when she leaves hosital - very sad to look at 2 suitcases and think thats what your life comes down to.

3. Brokered a deal to sell the house and ideas on how to sort out the furniture etc - all to be dealt with when we go back on "holiday" in June!



So, got quite a bit done whilst still visiting the hospital on a daily basis. Plus I saw most of my cousins, the Grundys (friends from Botswana) and saw lots and lots of bluebells and glorious rhododendrons - nowhere like England in the Spring!

I extended my stay by a few days and flew back on Monday 5th. Got to Heathrow early only to find that my flight had been cancelled so they put me on an earlier flight and the whole change of arrangements actually worked out better than the original - less time to wait in boring Dubai airport and home at 4.15 rather than at 11.30 at night. Plus the very nice woman at the desk in Heathrow decided not to charge me the penalty of 50 GBP for changing my flight when I produced the Drs letter - said we would use our discretion even though my flight contract said I could only change it if I had died!

Gosh England is expensive - petrol is 1.22 GBP per litre, the car hire cost over 400 gbp...yikes, poor little credit card!

Eating out is expensive too - 29 gbp for a meal for 2 when I took Bruce "out for a curry" and another 20 when I took Dorothy - the neighbour from over the road. But they have both been so good they deserved it. Nothing gets past Dorothy - she even beetled over to ask me what I had put in the dustbin one day! :)

I went out for a very funny meal with my cousin Linda and her husband Mike at a pub called the Blue cap. Mike is a very good cook and is quite demanding as to service etc so it was very entertaining. The Blue Cap has recently been taken over by new management (3 days previously) and obviously hadn't got to grips with things yet. The table next to us had been waiting 2 hours for their meal and demanded to see the chef as they refused to beleive that it was "on its way". 3 men at the table opposite us got their food in relays so that they all ate at different times. Well, Mike started to mumble but we waited. Mike and Linda's prawn curries came - very nice and then along came my salmon (can't remember the fancy name) well it was a lumo of fish on some boiled potatoes with a bowl of freshly defrosted vegetables - it looked disgusting. Called the waitress (poor girl was having a really rough evening) and asked her where was the pastry, where was the asparagus? (Had sounded like a fishy wellington from the menu) so off she went with my plate and came back and said that the chef said that salmon blah blah didn't have pastry and asparagus - so I gave her the menu and off she went again. Well, by the time Linda and Mike had finished mine rea-ppeared - this time beautifully presented and very nice. Give them a few more weeks and they may be worth visiting again once they've found their feet!

Leaving the hospital on the Monday morning was very very hard, Mom was quite lucid except for the odd comment about whether I had seen my dad, but I noticed the gel for her sore mouth at the back of her table. This gel was now being used after I had my 1 hour meeting with the ward sister about all the things I thought they were doing wrong - the dirty teeth etc, followed up by a meeting with the "consultant".

Basically the confusion is not because of the diabetes or the infection but as a result of the stroke - says we just have to see what happens. So, a heart attach in Feb and a stroke in April, not looking good - and she is so thin and frail. She just does not eat enough but they cannot keep her on a drip in perpetuity.

So the nurse said that, no, she had not had the gel that morning. Why not? Because she bit the nurses yesterday! So, I gave her the gel, then I was handed her tablets to see if she woudl take them when I gave them to her - swallowed them as good as gold! So, when I left, I said, now behave yourself and do as you are told and Don't bite the nurses! She laughed and so did I - she hadn't known that she had!

So, off I went to drive to Heathrow - cried like a baby in the corridor but then came right and off I went. Thankfully no delays on the road which I had been worried about as it was a Bank Holiday - lovely sunny day too! I did have lovely weather.

Back home - am in contact with the social worker, the hospital and the neighbours - so just going from day to day waiting for news.

Lucid at last!

Busy days over here! Met mums cleaner - quite a profitable job - £15 for 2 hours work? Have to also pay the gardener - he potters around weeding and planting oonce a month @ £25. Off to see mum - lucid today! Was so great to actually know she was on this planet - however - said definitely does not want to go into a home, it would finish her off - pointed out that staying at home falling over and blacking out would also finish her off! Anyway - will keep trying. Off to the grundys when Rosie had "plated" a meal for me and then Alan & Helen popped in to see me as well. Rosie & Andrew are in the process of adopting 2 little girls - come from a family of 6 from a single mother in the worst part of Manchester but both of them bright as a button 5 + 6 years old, very pretty with curly blonde hair but so lively! Thank goodness they have enough money to get help in so that they can have time to cope with this lot!

Back to Northwich and out to dinner with Bruce - youch - went for an Indian meal - £29! But he deserves it for all his help. Then a call from David who said he thinks Mum should go into a home - at least we are on the same page about that.

Got off to a good start on Monday morning - very helpful social worker - he will visit Mum with me tomorrow and get a list of places that are currently available so that will decrease the list and give me focue - must have en suite facilities too. Then to HSBC - will cost me £6 per month just to have an account so have decided to delay it until absolutely necessary - it is so that if mum runs out of money we can top up whatever costs are incurred - help!

Then back home at 11.30 to await my "telephonic appointment" with Dr Adams scheduled for 12. Huh! Phoned at 12.05 to find out what was happening - no - he had phoned at 11.15 and said I wasn't there and had now gone hime - can only get another "telephonic appointment" on Thursday. Not helpful att all! Also spoke to the lawyers, if Mum refuses to go into a home I can apply to the court in London to have her registered mentally incapable - everyone would be notified and can have input - really hope I don't have to go that route.

Off to Leighton to visit Mum - am making less mistakes on the way there nowadays! She seemed to be lucid again but then would refer to whether I had seen Dad. Very sad. The woman in the bed next to her is a real character - when the nurse asked whether the marks on her nightie were gravy or hot chocolate she tartly replied that they shoulsn't be either! When offered tea of coffee she replied that she would prefer champagne! Will have to see what I can arrange for Mums birthday on Thursday.

Don't hink I culd move back to the UK - the bureaucracy drives me crazy. I found out that there is a 7 day pass for parking that costs £10 and I had been paying £3 each day - so went to where I thought you had to go - wrong, then they said I had to get a form from the ward - so rather that climbing the stairs and traipsing all the way back to ward 14 (miles of corridors) I poppe din to ward 1 - no, they can't do it - has to be the ward where the patient is - why can't they look on their computers or phone reception to confirm! So all the way back to ward 14 and then down again - but will save me in the long run.

Found my way to Hartford to have dinner with Muriel and John - had never realised there was a difference between Shepherds pie and cottage pie - one is lamb abd one is beef. Anyway she "plated" me with enough cottage pie to feed 10 starving cambodians and it was so good I ate it all! Sio much for having been so good on wieght watchers! Then we walked along to a home to see whether it would be suitable - unfortunately the only en suite room was upstairs and they did not have the necessary nursing care needed but at least that is one that can be crossed off the list.

It is so nice that it stays late until about 9 - can get more done. Went home and was astonished to find that all the dead pot plants I had left on the steps had vanished - I stood and looked around and couldn't work it out until Dorothy popped her head out and said she had moved them - obvioulsy I am being a slob again! Started a jigsaw - need something to keep me sane with my relatives - David phoned to again tell me Mum must go into a home and now because it was worrying him..... yeah yeah yeah and in the same breath that he wanted the coffee table. I can see this is going to be a daily occurence and hate to think what he'll say when I take him to see Mum on her birthday. Then cousin Marilyn phoned - to ask whether I'd got everything sorted out yet - and this for the person who needs a weeks holiday after a trip to the shops - it is so tiring!

Tuesday - up early and off down the canal to Marbury forest to see the carpets of bluebells - lovely. On the way there I met a lamb - it was on the left bank and all the other sheep were on the right bank - so it jumped in and swam across but then couldn't get out so it swam back and allowed me to grab it by the front legs and haul it out. Larry the lamb no 128! As he got out he wriggeled and jerked away and then I could not catch him again - otherwise I would have carried him to the bridge and then back along the other side, even though there is not a towpath there - but he kept leaping away and I could not get him, I asked a barge to stop and help me and then if we could cathc him they culd drop him off on the other side but theye just wished me luck and carried on. Poor Larry, just couldn't grab him - so I left him and walked on. Asked any people that I met if they knew the sheep farmer but they didn't (so limited in their lives!). On the way back he had disappeared so he must have either made it back somehow, or gone for a walk in the woods or was at the bottom of the canal - hope he made it!

Off now to pop in to see David and maybe take him out for tea - hope the carer doesn't come - its very inhibiting having this brooding Bulgarian presence - plus - do I have to pay for his tea too?

Back in the Northwich library!

Well here I am back in the Northwich Library after a hectic day of travelling. On Tuesday I received a phone call to say my mum had come out of hospital then another one later to say she had gone back in - could I come - so booked and off I went!

Thursday at 2.30 - Emirates flight to Dubai - arrived there 9.30 SA time (12.30 Dubai time) sat next to a very nice young couple (musicians) who were relocating to the Uk to try things out there. I had an aisle seat and to the left of me were some black men - obvioulsy very into SADC stuff. Spoke extremely loudly all the time - most upset when the bar closed and insisted on telling me that they fly at least 10 times a year, had paid to be business class but stuck in economy and if they had been put into Business class they could have drunk all night long. Made suitable ums and ah sounds. As we landed - the one nearest to me vomited all over himself, the cushions, the floor - UGH!!! They did not protray the image of black businessmen very well.

Dubai airport interesteting - kind of olympic flame things along the side, large concrete date palms and gold light fittings but once you've walked the length of it there's not much to do - and the shops are expensive!!! And Eastern loos are the most unhygenic things I can imagine! Yuck - always walking in what one hopes is water on the floor...

Left Dubai at 2.45 in the morning arrived at gatwick at 7.20. met another nice person - an artist who was on the way to Dublin to see whether she coudl reloacte there - will keep in touch with her when we both get back.

Collected bag to discover that the weheels had vanished in transit - just as well it wasn't heavy! Tried to get a flight to Manchester but because I was at Gatwick and not Heathrow only BA flies from there and they were fully booked until 6 that evening - so popped over to the car hire place and shopped around and got a really nice automatic Astra so off I went. Took me 4 hours to get to Cheshire - kept wondering what the speed limit was as I zoomed along - didn't see any signs anywhere! Waved a mental hello to Morse as I passed the Oxford off-ramp. Discovered it was 70 and my average was 100 - whoops! All the trees are getting those lovely lime green light new leaves and there are daffodils everywhere! Passed a field of 6 piebald shire horses - wuld make a lovey dary team. Stopped twice on the way -coffee and sushi!

Went straight to the hospital to visit mum. She was suprised to see me but a bit confused - the main problem is that she had her leg adjusted at Manchester hospital last week and they made it so tight that it has caused great sores - so she doesn't want to put it on properly so then she falls. She is very thin and her leg is covered in sores and her arms are all blue. Kept asking me to look for her handbag which she insisted she had had with her. Backchatted the nurses who took her to task.

So left her at 3'ish and went home - pounced upon by Sheila and Dorothy who told me their woes of having to sit with her until 2 in the morning until the ambulance came, the state of the bathroom etc. Seems they expect me to pack up the house, get her into a home and sell the house all in one week. Yikes!

Finally got over to the house and had a glass of wine some cumberland pie and long bubble bath. Nearly gassed myself to death by trying to get the heater on in the lounge which did not ignite but kept gassing - so opened windows and lived with it until I sorted it out in the morning. Phoned several people and set up my social calendar for the weekend!

Sat - trying day at the banks. Barclays do not have the forms for international accounts and HSBC had the most chaotic queing system I've ever seen - talkin about SA being 3rd world - in terms of banking we are streets ahead! Need proff of residence - why or why did I thow the latest rates account into the bin! Can't image why all English people aren't rolly pollies - lovely smells waft out as you walk along - howvere am trying to be good, the "muffin tops" over the top of my jeans is trying to keep me on track!

Anyway, am off now to look at an old age home and then pick up david to take him to see my mum - hope its not too fraught an encounter! Bye for now.

Phoned around, will take David to see her this (Sat)

OW! OW! OW!

Well, a very dramatic end to a busy weekend.

Saturday was very pleasant with a geological birthday party - lovely lunch and nice to see Judith and Paul again. Sunday started off very peacefully - washed Womble, got everything organised, Sarah & I were going to the Autumn Gold Cup show - she was to do the private drive and single harness and I was to do the utility course and obstacles. So civilised only having to leave home at 9 - 9.30!

Off we went and arrived with plenty of time - estimating we would be home again at about 3. We helped lay the course - lovely area for the private drives but a smallish area with steep banks that one could plummet off if you didn't stop in time for the cones -eeek! Just as well I moved his reins down a notch on the bit!

Sarah came third in the single harness - Wunderkinds first show! Well done! We didn't watch the private drive as we were warming up Womble and then it was time for the cones. First round clear and then the run-off judged by speed. We were the last to go and off we went - Sam as groom and we zoomed around! Yes! As we crossed the finish line we turned right so that we wouldn't be going helter-skelter for the bank and over we went, carriage and all! One never knows what happens, one minute you are having a great time and the next you are skidding along on the floor feeling very OW!

Got Womble out of part of his harness and then he insisted on getting up and broke the rest, but he was OK - then over to Sam who was being helped by Johan and Sarah - called for a paramedic, she had broken her wrist. Found my glasses which were a bit skew-wiff and watited for the paramedic to bind her up.

Off to casualty at Sunninghill - dreadful place - 3 hours wait in which they did 1 x-ray. They called the orthopaedic surgeon who was on his way as it was not a clean break - and we sat and we sat and we sat. Finally the surgeon burst in asking where was his patient! The theatre had been prepped the ward ready - all waiting for us - while we waited for them! They really did neglect us shamefully - and no pain relief for Sam for the whole time.

Once we got to the ward everything was far more organised - off we went to theatre with me all gowned up (would have fit a giant - trailed on the floor) and hatted and shod in blue so that I could hold Sams hand while they put in the drip to anaesthetise her.

Off she went to sleep - she was so very very brave the whole time and never complained even about the waiting except that she was so thirsty and hungry but was not allowed to eat in case they needed to operate. They started to open her moutht o put in tubes etc and I said - do I still have to be here - can I go now, I don't really want to watch the whole thing! The surgeon and the anaesthetist were really great people - friendly, telling me what was going on etc. (Johan had gone to pick up Michael and take him home) AND - as a special event, Gareth, the really really good looking Doctor who was in Survivor SA was there too - touched Sam on the hand (swoon in my blue monstrosities!) and told her not to worry! He is even more good looking in real life than on the screen although this link to his webpage makes him look all big chin and vaguely wet which he doesn't look like in real life.

So off I went then to sit outside the theatre - and worry about death under anaesthetic etc but it was very quick and then she came back with a big cast - right up to her shoulder. Back to the ward to wake up properly.

In the bed next to her was this tiny black baby that needed an oxygen mask and had a lot of trouble breathing. I asked his parent what was the matter with him. They were americans and had only just "got him" and 2 weeks ago they had switched off his life support system and thought he was going to die. He was 2 years old (but was the size of a very skinny 3 month old) and had 2 holes in his heart. Going to have a big heart op the next day. While Sam was still sleeping he held my finger and smiled and gurgled as best he could through his various drips and tubes - hope he makes it - such bright eyes and a very strong grip - when I take Sam back for her checkup on Thurday I'll see if we can pop in to see him - baby Malgas.

So as soon as we could we were out of there (8 hours!) and stopped to get Sam a McDonalds ice cream for being so good!

What a relief to get home - and then I could peel off my pants to reveal my bruises - owweee! Think I should get a Guiness world record for the largest bruise! Think of a very large oval serving platter and you've got the size about right - and that's just one leg!

Oh yes - most important - we won the cones by over 4 seconds!

Neighbours are the bane of ones existence

Oh dear, our new neighbours sound the pits! We used to get on with the old ones and grazed our horses there until Brian left the hose running into the water trough which empitied their water tank =no water in the house and they took umbrage - locked the gate so that we could not graze there anymore. Alo, they would not allow us to put up a proper fence around their house so of course Megan walked into their house and the bedrooms, and Womble ate all the bird seed... but they wouldn't let us stop them properly. Anyway, it obviously caused a problem - not by any intention of ours and after that they did not talk to us - which was a bit uncomfortable but otherwise they were OK neighbours - very quiet.

Now they have sold and the rumours are not good.

Plot 1 reported:

"We met the new buyer of plot 2. Lets just say he is definitely not quite the country life person. Very city slicker, very loud, very in your face type of person. He has a little too much to say about things like our african people, religion etc. He says he will be getting a ex-constable who hates african people to stay on the plot who will patrol the area with a shot gun. He also wants to run his business from plot 2 and says he will only be around on weekends, he says he will come in - make a noise and then leave.
Im personally not too sure what all that means."

eeeek.... what noise? What if the ex-constable gets trigger happy? and then.....

"They stay in Meyersdal in Alberton. His is a Christian like me and Clay. But he is very blatant about it (Sort of over-religious) if you know what I mean. If he see's you not a Christian, even if he doesnt know you at all, he'll start preaching to you straight away and will try to forcefully convert you on the spot. But in the same breath he'll tell you how it hates K...ff (Africans). A bit strange ??
He has a daughter (+-14) & I think a older son (+-17/18). I didn't meet the wife as she wasn't with them on Saturday."


Hmmmm... so phoned the estate ageent to find out what kind of business they were planning to run from next door = paint mixing. = Fumes? Waste? Workers in and out? Oh dear......

Gosh! Bikes are expensive!

Hi Guys

Trying to write this blog but computer won’t let me login – very frustrating. So typing into word and will upload asap.!

An upsy downsy week again – seems to be the same for all my friends – guess it is called Life! Had some feedback from my friend Caroline who said she enjoys reading my blog! Yeah! Now post a comment please! Must just make sure it doesn’t get too gloomy with all the dying and illness that seems to be around at the moment. Come on everybody – more feedback please – why don’t you contribute to it as well?

My mom came out of hospital last week after having been in there for almost 3 weeks. The social workers had spoken to her but she is still determined to stay home. So be it. However, 2 days after she came out I got a call from her accountant, who had had a call from her neighbour.. (the English grapevine is very effective) to say that the carer and the Dr were there and now would be a good time for me to phone to find out what is going on! So I did – she had gone all hypo so they were bringing her round – no hospital required. So, we go from day to day hoping she keeps OK. She sounds pretty chipper on the phone, just complains that every time she turns around there is somebody there to give her a tablet – thank goodness for the British Social service!

Am getting excited about the trip now – have booked a B+B in Cumbria for 2 nights so that we can attend a “Woolfest” ( http://www.woolfest.co.uk/ ) (and we plan to take my mom to James Herriots home in Thirsk – its only a couple of hours away so hopefully she can do that trip, will have to wait and see.

Poor Sarah & Charlie are still being dragged through the emotional turmoil of selling their house – their house was sold 2 months ago and they have struggled to find somewhere suitable – finally their offer was accepted on a place they like last Thursday and NOW the buyer of their house has had his bond withdrawn! So now what??? Jeepers – whatever could go wrong has gone wrong for them, selling a house can be a quick way to have a nervous breakdown!

We went shopping to replace the stolen camping equipment and the kids bikes – wow bikes are expensive! My old bike in Grahamstown cost me R40 – can’t get anything under R700 nowadays! Chatted about it to a friend – she said they weren’t buying bikes for their kids, too expensive, they can walk – seems mean – there’s a lot of fun riding a bike – Sam rides round and round the garden and they use them to visit friends down the road – it’s not always just about utility, there’s the fun and freedom aspect too.

Johan arrived back from Upington on Friday with some exciting news – the company for which he does a lot of work have offered him a partnership – this has quite a few advantages, there would be people to take care of the admin (he never has time for it) and he could use the services of junior geologists for some things. He would also get an office – which means all the files currently in the caravan could be moved out again – and the piles of rocks all over the place. At first he would be in charge of the Upington project – it would just mean that he has some backup as well. So, he needs to decide. Will have to wait and see!

Old age is lonely

My mom is still in hospital ... and I don't know what to do - go or stay. She has fought diabetes for 57 years, lost a leg and and eye, it has affected the whole family and the way our lives have panned out, what they were able to do etc. Even, one thinks, if she had not been a diabetic she would not have had such a large baby and David might not have got stuck = no oxygen loss = no retardation. If, if, if, the ideas of how things could have been different are endless.

And now it must be so lonely, alone at home, unable to do much, reliant on so much medication, then into hospital again and again. And there is only yourself to help you through those times late at night, fighting the disease but for what? I wish I was there even if just to give her a hug.

What would it mean if I booked a flight? Johan would have to be unemployed and stay home whilst I was away unless we farmed out the kids and left Nomie and Brian to look after the house and animals. My passport needs an Eygptian visa but I'm scared to send it in.

The answer is obviously for mum to go into a home, but she doesn't want to - and the nice ones are expensive so she is worried about that, and that also means we have to find a place to live when we go over to visit her in June (not a problem - will take a tent if necessary - but I know it worries her - she wants us to stay at home with her, however cramped.

What to do, what to do...... go, stay, send in passport for visa or not... help!